Australian students are excelling when their teachers hold them to high expectations.
But in equal numbers, kids around the country are suffering from poorer mental health…
And it’s being largely attributed to mounting pressures at school.
How and Why Kids Need to Learn Resilience
Put simply, resilience is the ability to respond positively to adversity.
But how is this ability developed?
Are some people simply born with it or can we teach it to children? (And if so, how?)
We’ll address all of these questions in a moment.
But first let’s quickly recap what’s been discovered about resilience so far…
The first person to extensively research resilience was the developmental psychologist, Norman Garmezy.
In his research Garmezy noticed particular children who succeeded in the face of adversity.
These children experienced severe disadvantage or even neglect yet somehow still managed to flourish at school and in later life.
You see, prior to this research, psychologists tended to only look at the negative impact of stressful or traumatic experiences.
And while it is clearly important to help children deal with stressful events after they occur…
If resilience is able to “insulate” children against the negative effects of stress before they experience such challenges?
Helping children become more resilient at an early age may very well be the best long term strategy.
So why do kids need to learn resilience?
School Readiness: What is the right age for your child?
In Victoria, kids must turn five before the 30th of April in their first year of school.
But even with these guidelines, many parents still struggle with whether they should hold their child back a year…
Or if they should start early.
In fact, a recent study showed that parents are suffering from excessive stress and anxiety over the decision!
It’s a concerning but not completely surprising finding…
The first year of a child’s schooling can set the path for their educational experience…
For better or worse.
So in this post, we’ll be addressing some of the implications of school starting age…
And how you can help pick the best path for your child.
Last-minute Study Dos and Don’ts
VCE exams are in full swing!
And while most of the hard work has been done…
It’s not too late for students to work on improving their performance on the big days.
Encourage your kids to adopt some healthy and productive approaches to study in these last few weeks…
And avoid those things that may get in the way.
7 Behaviour Management Tips for Every Parent
Kids will be kids!
And the notion of a perfectly behaved child — for most parents — is unrealistic.
But if your child’s behaviour is making things difficult for you or your family…
You may want to consider implementing some changes.
And the best place to start is at home.
There are many reasons a child may misbehave (which we’ll get to further on in this post), but for a start — start small.
Below are some easy ways you can try to regain some ‘law and order’ in your household, and improve the behaviour of your kids.
What Have Smart Phones Done to a Generation?
New research on teens and the effect of smartphones has been circulating around the internet…
And the findings are both surprising and somewhat disturbing.
They come from psychologist Jean M. Twenge, who has been researching generational differences for 25 years.
For the majority of her career, Twinge noted that these differences changed relatively naturally and modestly.
But in 2012, something changed.
‘I noticed abrupt shifts in teen behaviours and emotional states’, she explains.
‘In all my analyses of generational data—some reaching back to the 1930s—I had never seen anything like it.’
So what happened in 2012, to instigate such a sharp change?
9 Ways Our Psychologists Help Children Reach Their Full Potential
Did you know that, according to research conducted in 2015, around half of all mental health issues start by age 14?
That’s why early intervention is so important.
And it’s why our main focus is on helping kids develop the practical skills they need to tackle their daily challenges…
And most importantly, these skills are not “quick-fixes”.
Rather, they are “life skills” that remain relevant and beneficial through adolescence and adulthood.
Here are 9 ways our psychologists can help:
RCH National Health Poll: What Parents Need to Know About Childhood Mental Health
The Royal Children’s Hospital national health poll findings have just been released.
They shed a lot of light on how families with young children understand and deal with mental health issues…
And emphasise the importance of identifying the warning signs…
Of understanding the issues…
And of seeking out early intervention.
Of the 2000 parents surveyed in the poll…
A third believed that mental health problems in kids will ‘work themselves out’ over time.
About a quarter did not know that physical symptoms can be signs of mental health problems.
And fewer than half felt confident about where they could get professional help.
These numbers may seem surprising, as the proportion of children exhibiting mental health challenges is at an all-time high.
But the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness or emotional problems can be hard to identify.
7 Tips for Raising Children Who Love Learning
Kids who get their homework done?
Great!
Kids who do well at school?
Fantastic.
Kids who love learning?
The best.
And parents can help their kids to love learning in and of itself.
But why should they?
5 Ways Anxiety Harms Learning and 8 Things Parents Can Do to Help
There is an ‘epidemic of anxiety’ among Australian children.
And many experts are attributing this to increasing pressure at school.
But when it comes to school and anxiety – it can be a case of:
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
How and why childhood anxiety develops is not the most important issue at hand, though.
What’s important is that it’s identified and addressed as soon as possible.